Refugees bear the highest burden of mental health issues; however, they often underuse available mental health services. Interventions aimed at those with diagnosed conditions frequently do little to prevent the onset of disorders. Problem Management Plus for Immigrants (PMP-I) is a prevention intervention adapted from the World Health Organization’s Problem Management Plus (PMP). PMP-I includes psychoeducation, problem-solving, behavioural activation, social support and networking, and mind-body exercises. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the impact of PMP-I on mental, social and emotional well-being outcomes among Bhutanese refugees resettled in Massachusetts.

Bhutanese individuals aged 18 or older who had resettled in Massachusetts and scored ≤14 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were randomly assigned to two groups: PMP-I (n = 58 families) and a talk programme with a community support services pamphlet (n = 58 families). Trained community interventionists delivered five sessions of PMP-I to intervention participants in their family settings. Primary outcomes included scores on measures of stress (Cohen Perceived Stress Scale-10), and anxiety and depression (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25), assessed at baseline, 6-week and 3-month post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included hair cortisol, coping, coping self-efficacy, social support, social network, family conflict resolution and family satisfaction. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyse differences in changes in outcomes between the intervention and control groups, adjusting for baseline scores on the primary outcomes, as well as age, duration of residence, marital status and history of chronic diseases.

All 232 participants recruited (116 families) were retained throughout the project. The intervention group evidenced a significantly greater decrease than the control group at both 6-week and 3-month post-intervention assessments on the primary outcomes of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptom scores. Similarly, the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher scores at both the 6-week and 3-month periods after the intervention compared to the control group on measures of coping, family conflict resolution, self-efficacy, family satisfaction and social networking with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d > 0.8, p < .01). Hair cortisol concentrations did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups at either baseline or 3-month post-intervention.

The PMP-I improved the mental, social and emotional well-being of Bhutanese adults (PHQ-9 score ≤ 14) resettled in Massachusetts. Peer-delivered, family-centred PMP-I offers a significant public health benefit; however, a large-scale, RCT involving diverse refugee groups is necessary to replicate its success nationwide and beyond.

Common mental disorders are highly prevalent among Syrian refugees. Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a brief, transdiagnostic, non-specialist helper delivered, psychological intervention targeting psychological distress. This single-blind pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) on PM+ delivered by peer-refugees examined trial procedures in advance of a definitive RCT, evaluated PM+ 's acceptability and feasibility, and investigated its likely effectiveness and cost-effectiveness among Syrian refugees in the Netherlands.

Adult Syrian refugees (N = 60) with elevated psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) score >15) and reduced pychosocial functioning (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS) score >16) were randomised into PM+ in addition to care as usual (CAU) (PM+/CAU; n = 30) or CAU alone (n = 30). Primary outcomes were symptoms of depression and anxiety (Hopkins Symptom Checklist; HSCL-25) at 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were pychosocial functioning (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule; WHODAS 2.0), symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (PTSD Checklist for DSM 5; PCL-5) and self-identified problems (Psychological Outcomes Profiles; PSYCHLOPS). Changes in service utilisation and time out of employment and/or adult education were estimated (adapted version of the Client Service Receipt Inventory; CSRI). Semi-structured interviews on the implementation of PM+ were conducted with stakeholders (i.e. six PM+ participants, five non-specialist helpers and five key informants).

Recruitment, randomization and blinding procedures were successful. PM+ was generally perceived positively by stakeholders, especially regarding the intervention strategies, accommodation of the intervention and the helpers. Two serious adverse events not attributable to the trial were reported. At 3-month follow-up, the HSCL-25 total score was significantly lower for the PM+/CAU group (n = 30) than CAU group (n = 30) (p = 0.004; d = 0.58). Significant differences in favour of PM+/CAU were also found for WHODAS psychosocial functioning (p = 0.009, d = 0.73), PCL-5 symptoms of PTSD (p = 0.006, d = 0.66) and PSYCHLOPS self-identified problems (p = 0.005, d = 0.81). There were no significant differences in mean health service costs (p = 0.191) and the mean costs of lost productive time (p = 0.141). This suggests PM+ may potentially be cost-effective with an incremental cost from a health system perspective of €5047 (95% CI €0–€19 773) per additional recovery achieved.

Trial procedures and PM+ delivered by non-specialist peer-refugee helpers seemed acceptable, feasible and safe. Analyses indicate that PM+ may be effective in improving mental health outcomes and psychosocial functioning, and potentially cost-effective. These results support the development of a definitive RCT with a larger sample of refugees and a longer follow-up period.